2 Timothy 1:1-5: a reflection

1Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God, according to the promise of the life which is in Christ Jesus, 2to Timothy, my beloved child: Grace, mercy, and peace, from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. 3I thank God, whom I serve as my forefathers did, with a pure conscience. How unceasing is my memory of you in my petitions, night and day 4longing to see you, remembering your tears, that I may be filled with joy; 5having been reminded of the sincere faith that is in you, which lived first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, in you also.

Paul, writing to his beloved Timothy, gives thanks for the faith he sees in him, and traces where it came from. I am reminded, he says, of your sincere faith, which lived first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and now, I am sure, lives in you also. Timothy's living faith had not sprung up from nowhere; it had been passed down, from grandmother to mother to son, a faith handed on through the generations of a godly family.

Notice how Paul describes Timothy's faith: as something handed down through his family. It had lived first in Lois, then in Eunice, and now in Timothy; three generations of faith, each passing it to the next. Timothy's sincere faith was, in part, the fruit of a godly grandmother and mother who had lived their faith before him and passed it on. He had received a precious inheritance, a living faith handed down through those who came before him.

That is worth pausing over with gratitude, and with a sense of responsibility. Many of us have received faith, in part, through those who came before us, a grandmother, a parent, someone who lived their faith before us and passed it on; and that is a precious inheritance to give thanks for. And it carries a responsibility: to hand that faith on in turn, to those who come after us. Give thanks for those through whom faith came to you, the Loises and Eunices in your own story; and consider how you are passing faith on to those who come after you. A living faith is meant to be handed down, as Timothy's was; receive with gratitude the faith handed to you, and take up the responsibility of handing it on, so that it lives in the next generation as it lived in you.

Lord, Paul gave thanks for Timothy's sincere faith, which lived first in his grandmother Lois and his mother Eunice, and now in Timothy also; a faith handed down through three generations of a godly family. Help me pause over that with gratitude and with a sense of responsibility. Many of us have received faith, in part, through those who came before us, a grandmother, a parent, someone who lived their faith before us and passed it on; and that is a precious inheritance to give thanks for. And it carries a responsibility: to hand that faith on in turn, to those who come after us. Help me give thanks for those through whom faith came to me, the Loises and Eunices in my own story; and help me consider how I am passing faith on to those who come after me. A living faith is meant to be handed down, as Timothy's was; help me receive with gratitude the faith handed to me, and take up the responsibility of handing it on, so that it lives in the next generation as it lived in me. Thank you for those who passed faith to me, Lord; help me pass it on.